The update is available as a separate JAR file deliverable. Simply extract the two files from the zip file in the download link and place them in your minecraft/mods folder to install.

Working on a small update to add a couple of nice-to-have 3D objects and scenery found in the Vale plaza. The update itself is just about done, just adding a couple of things here and there before uploading it.

Some quick screenshots, one is vanilla and the others have HD Minecraft shaders enabled (it's crazy seeing Vale in HD!):

To install, simply extract the contents of the .RAR archive and place the resulting .JAR files in your Minecraft mods folder. Forge is required to run this mod.

Creator's comments...Version 1.0.2: "This mod is part of the Golden Sun Decor 2.0 family of Golden Sun mods for Minecraft 1.11.2. This is a dual entry in the 2.0 series, containing the sub-mods Golden Sun: Vale Essentials and Golden Sun: Fauna. These two mods were lumped together for several reasons, mainly due to a degree of cross-over in the content they add to Minecraft (you can't have Vale without the trees!). The Vale Essentials sub-mod adds a variety of 3D models, blocks, and set dressing from the town of Vale, allowing for near 1:1 Minecraft recreations of the town as it appears in-game. Some structures are included, such as the Vale Sanctum. The Vale bridge objects are modular in that they are broken out into a front piece, middle piece, and end piece, one set for each compass direction, allowing the user to customize the length of their bridges if they wish. Special blocks such as corner pieces are included as well, with a variety of grass and wall block articulations, allowing for decent transitions from walls to corners to grassy tops.

The Golden Sun: Fauna sub-mod includes a utilitarian variety of trees and plants found in the game with additional plant life planned for a future, more content-dense Fauna mod. Included so far are trees commonly found in Vale and several other GS1 cities such as Bilibin. Garet's sister's garden is included, of course! Between these two mods, users should have roughly all of the tools they need to recreate Vale as it appears in the Golden Sun series, or their own completely new Golden Sun towns! Have fun!"

The Vale SanctumModular BridgesVale Grass, Wall, Shade, and Dirt Paths with corner blocks and articulations for all block typesFoliage including flowers, ivy, bushesTrees, large and smallAnd more!

PROBLEMS?

If you encounter any problems, post a crash report here so I can take a look at it.It should be 99.8% stable. I'd be surprised if it caused any issues for anyone other than ID conflicts with other mods, which is unlikely and easily fixed.

To install, simply download the mod from the link above and place the resulting .JAR file in your Minecraft mods folder. Forge is required to run this mod.

Creator's comments...Version 1.0.2: "This mod is part of the Golden Sun Decor 2.0 family of Golden Sun mods for Minecraft 1.11.2. The goal of Golden Sun Statues is to add some beauty to your Golden Sun builds by adding 3D statues from the Golden Sun series to Minecraft that aren't already accounted for in Golden Sun Decor 2.0. I aimed to get every statue from the first two games, but if you find one missing from the mod, please let me know and I will add it in a future update. Modeling these beautiful objects was a breeze thanks to oBeeWare's Cubik Studio. In cases where a statue's sprite included shadows or pedestals in-game to create the illusion of 3D, those elements were hand-modeled in 3D and appended onto the base statue object using the sprite as a texture to best translate the 2D objects to 3D while keeping as much original sprite work intact as possible.

Unlike the 3D objects in Golden Sun Decor, the statues in this mod can face in any compass direction. Object positioning is determined by the direction the player is facing when placing the statue (this choice was made to remain faithful to the original statue-based puzzles in Golden Sun, which are sometimes oriented diagonally or facing certain directions). Statues such as the Sol Sanctum Trap Statue are gravity-enabled, they will fall if the block they are placed on is moved or destroyed. To increase the size of a large statue or set piece such as the Desert Statue, place it on an Item Frame (a default Minecraft item found under the Decoration Blocks tab). Overall, this simple mod adds the many beautiful sculptures from the Golden Sun series to Minecraft. A great addition to Golden Sun Decor 2.0. Very cool!"

If you encounter any problems, post a crash report here so I can take a look at it.It should be 99.8% stable. I'd be surprised if it caused any issues for anyone other than ID conflicts with other mods, which is unlikely and easily fixed.

Might make certain statues pushable at some point. A sound effect would occur when the statue is pushed by the player. Could add a function where the statue will not move further if the neighbor block is a puzzle floor border block as well as a Button block for the statue to be pushed onto, the "kerchunk!" sound effect would occur and the Button block would emit a redstone signal, allowing for functional puzzle designs.

9/27/2017:Fix one thing, break twenty other things! Updated to version 1.0.2 with the following fixes:

- Fixed some object textures that broke in v.1.0.1. - Updated certain objects to include rotations based on which way the player is facing when placing the block to provide continuity with Golden Sun Statues.

Here are a couple of quick screenshots of a structure built with Venus Lighthouse blocks:

A model for one of the bridges in Vale. This model will be scaled-up slightly and then broken out into three or more separate parts, so that the player can customize the length of the bridge in-game as part of a future Golden Sun mod:

I can chip in with coding where I can. C# would be new to me but I can learn. We use a lot of SQL sprocs and use Java for backend stuff occasionally. Learned Visual Basic For Applications for fun in 2015 just from coming up with solutions for Excel problems and asking Google for the basics and stack overflow for the crazy stuff, lol.

Hmm, that is a good question. There are two ways of looking at it that I can think of. On one hand, the development of a tool designed to work with ROM or ISO copies of a complex game with valuable features like reading and writing data, viewing game assets, value editing, etc. requires a healthy amount of research time and a specialized skill set that may even be foreign to many software engineers. Out of any big development task I can think of, this is one that would definitely warrant a good paycheck and the work of a team. Nothing crazy like a SCRUM project or anything lol, but it's a big enough project that it could easily overwhelm any one person. On the other, a bit of a precedent has been set in that Atrius' editor is a labor-of-love freeware release, and this editor is the inarguable trendsetter for similar tools (just recently I randomly came across a Pokemon site discussion talking about how much they wish they had an editor like Atrius' editor for Pokemon games -- it's a wonderful tool!). Perhaps a shareware, trialware, or commercial release would leave a bitter taste in the mouth for users accustomed to the free tool, especially for Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, which doesn't receive quite the same amount of praise as its predecessors (a bit unfairly all in all; I think of it in the same way as StarFox Adventures -- a great game, but fans more set in their ways than others often receive change poorly, which can stifle creativity and impede the success of a series in the long run).

If I had to think about it, if the tool delivers the same features in a way as easily understood and used as Atrius' tool, users would be willing to pay for it at the end of the day. One comparable example I have is the paid Minecraft modeling software Cubik Studio by oBeeware. I've recently changed over to it from several years of Java modeling in Techne, a similar software. It has the same features as the latter, but offers improved compatibility with other model formats like OBJ, JSON, etc. and importantly, it improves on its modeling features, offering greater user control and a great UI. That product sells as a one-time payment for a user license with lifetime updates for roughly $20-25 USD.

Perhaps crowdfunding through Patreon is an option? Do you know which language you want the tool coded in?

In a perfect world, I would plan the project in phases, starting with the completion of research and documentation of Dark Dawn during a period of time spent crowdfunding online (on sites such as the Golden Sun Subreddit, fansites, Nintendo fan sites, etc.) and beginning development of the tool soon after, using any funds to commission a UI designer to model the tool and software engineer to design the backend and implement the features prioritized by how easy they are to add.

This project has been in progress for quite some time. I think the result will prove to be a great boon for the art of Minecraft world building using assets from Golden Sun. It's quite a beautiful mod so far, I hope you enjoy it!

Posting this preemptively because I honestly can't wait to finish development, compile it, and actually start building with it. Be sure to screenshot your creations and send them to Hiroyuki Takahashi (or, even better, Nintendo) as a friendly daily reminder to rev up development for a Golden Sun title for Nintendo Switch.

DOWNLOAD(by clicking this link, you promise you'll make a back-up of your world before loading up the mod)

To install, simply download the mod from the link above and place the resulting .JAR file in your Minecraft mods folder. Forge is required to run this mod.

Creator's comments...Version 1.0.0: "Creating the ability to build a world that faithfully employs the designs and artwork of the Golden Sun series within Minecraft through the use of new tools and advancements in Minecraft modding was the goal for this mod. Memorable set pieces from Sol Sanctum to Mercury Lighthouse, Lemuria, and more have been captured in meticulous detail, from the arched doorways and wall decorations of Mercury Lighthouse to the two microscopic red decorations that adorn the entryways of the castle in Lemuria (did you know this design only appears twice in all of Lemuria?). The use of relatively new 3D modeling tools such as oBeeware's Cubik Studio has greatly improved the ease of implementation for 3D objects in Minecraft, so much so that it is now possible to generate 2D 3D-capable objects directly from a source image or 3D object file via voxelation. This was a huge benefit, as many sprites and textures from the series which demand three dimensions to translate and truly 'look good' in Minecraft are now able to be implemented in-game (circular models are still a pain, don't get me wrong, this is Minecraft we're talking about here -- I put in a good effort with the Boulder object, at least! Perhaps a switch from .JSON to .OBJ is in order?).

Object positioning was taken into consideration in development as well, given the top-down camera angle present in the Golden Sun games -- objects will face south at all times with few exceptions, forcing you to rethink your designs and build with the Golden Sun camera perspective in mind. New 3D objects, new blocks, custom animated water designs straight from the Golden Sun world, and more will be included. Also included are a great selection of sounds from the game. The classic Golden Sun "jump" sound will occur when the user jumps, (I will include a version that omits this as well as I can see some users finding it annoying after extended play) the explosion sound will occur when Sol Sanctum platforms are placed, an eerie wind-in-the-trees sound will play should you happen to right-click on a Cursed Tree, etc. Overall, this mod packs a lot of character, wonderful sprites and textures, and just "looks good". I hope you like it!"

The mod adds a huge selection of 3D objects, new blocks, and more to Minecraft.

If you encounter any problems, post a crash report here so I can take a look at it.It should be 99.8% stable. I'd be surprised if it caused any issues for anyone other than ID conflicts with other mods, which is unlikely and easily fixed.

So you want to see our ideas, but want little to do with them unless they fit with what you're looking to do?

You are correct. Hardly a far-fetched concept, of course not every single idea can be considered. I wouldn't take it to heart, there are plenty of ideas I would like to implement as well that are certainly desirable, but in practice just aren't quite achievable either.

True, I do prefer the option to integrate stats as they exist rather than scaling, adjusting, or altering them to account for perceived issues with the original or with regard to how they affect Minecraft's combat experience (my reasoning for this is multi-faceted, but a primary point is, upon completing this basic framework of stat modification based on some allowed user-entered variables, interesting things such as Monsters with weaknesses and strengths based upon your Element can be implemented at a later point. Who would even want to fight dull vanilla creepers or zombies when you have Dullahan to contend with lol, would be low-level shenanigans in comparison with end-goal's results).

I choose to emphasize the importance of gender as a variable that affects separate elements for many reasons, but foremost so as to allow the user a more custom Minecraft experience, which even the most stubborn person can agree often has a degree of separation from the user. Of course you can dress up your user skin as fully as you possibly can within the limitations of ~16x16 textures and square model shapes, but the experience itself does not change to reflect your choice; you are a model that exists to break blocks, lol. Think of Pokemon, Final Fantasy, even Zelda to a degree post Hyrule Warriors: Legends, you are given a greater ability to customize the game experience to you, be it by playing as a male or female, or as your favorite character. In practice, this is the difference between not implementing a feature at all, implementing a feature based reasonably upon two static variables, and implementing a feature based on an indeterminable number of variables, one for however many gender options one may insist on being included. For this purpose, I do not find this reasonable level of customization a topic of debate. Further, I also do not find one's gender identity to be a primary port of call in developing or not developing a feature; restricting development to account for one demographic among many is not feasible from a development standpoint, and does not suit the goal of this project. There are places for issues like these, neither this Minecraft mod nor this thread are among them.

Of course we all feel a certain way, it's rare for one not to have an opinion, which is why liberty was taken to include and label my own in parenthesis within the list of three available polling options, where it currently seems to be leading, as of 5/27. Feasibility is paramount in any project, and speaking bluntly, Golden Sun 1 would still be in development to this day if each project aspect were open to discussion with the goal of pleasing everyone, lol, that's life, unfortunately. I ask for your opinion on the issue to see where you stand, as everyone is capable of producing interesting ideas, which are of course welcome and are not all implausible, but please do not confuse consultation with a promise to consider, modify, or allocate development time one way or another.

No need to be rude, Rolina, I understand that this is a topic you have invested quite a bit of time into. This is why the thread is directed to people such as yourself, who have a better understanding of the class system in Golden Sun than I. The reason I use extra exposition in this thread is to help clarify the topic to new visitors, perhaps someone coming to this thread via a Google search, to provide some context. Please calm down.

Definitely an interesting approach.I was thinking to perhaps integrate all existing classes from the first game, Squire, Knight, Gallant, and so on. What I'm still thinking through is by which variable should the user be able to choose which class they like. In Golden Sun, the number and type of Djinn you assign to one character is what drives this. This could be achieved in Minecraft in a similar way, perhaps an If Then type setup (check for items in player inventory/r/n If item x And item y And item z exist in inventory, do event). I could use existing assets from the Djinn mod, if needed. I'm sure there are other methods that can be used to achieve this, as well

Fox: Okay, so that Summon Night games adds the fram number to the seed, before generating another seed via mul/add.... (GS1-GS3 never adds the fram number.) ... So um, that makes sense! ; Summon Night: ((seed + frame) * 0x343FD + 0x269E3C) >> 0x10 ; Which is also on the list here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_congruential_generator

December 12, 2017, 11:10:45 PM

Fox: Yes, and there could be contests. Maybe ones where 1st/2nd/3rd place get a cash reward, but eh. Dunno.... Kind of thinking about making a topic about how people got their job, and what was their experience. (e.g. Did they use references of people already working in the job, and various other things.)

December 09, 2017, 04:24:14 AM

Majora: Import old forum posts for reference, perhaps take posts containing important info like documentation away from the old stickied forum post model and make them into their own pages on a site with an in-built search bar. Might help with SEO, too. If nothing else, perhaps whipping them into PDFs and hosting them via Scribd? The possibilities are boundless when it comes to restructuring a site

December 09, 2017, 04:20:02 AM

Majora: Just a nice idea to have even if it doesn't come to fruition. Updating, modernizing, always a good idea. Could probably do something pretty nifty using a good Wordpress theme

December 09, 2017, 04:15:45 AM

Majora: Would be kind of neat to do something like that for GSHC. Could change it up a bit to show all tweets/instagram posts/facebook posts/golden sun subreddit posts all in one sidebar. It would be cool in that it gives the site it's on (and the topic in general) appear more lively and active, which is a plus

December 09, 2017, 04:14:19 AM

Majora: That does sound interesting. One cool thing I've seen some sites use is a sort of unique take on a sidebar option that acts like a social media integration (like, "See GSHC's latest Tweets"). It displays activity from a variety of related sites, such as Reddit, Twitter, Instagram, etc.

December 09, 2017, 12:58:53 AM

Fox: And the way it'd work via code is not that all users would instantly get nicknames the minute you register... but rather, the moment you view a name if it doesn't have a nickname, it gets one. (My Thoughts.)

December 09, 2017, 12:53:55 AM

Fox: (I was thinking that it would be "Name (Nickname)" ... The nickname is what you first known the user as, and you can change that yourself... and the Name is what the user wants to be called... Something like that.

December 09, 2017, 12:47:56 AM

Fox: So like... for starters, one idea I had was to make it so anyone can name anyone... much like how it works on Skype, and you (the namer) would be the only one to see it, and such...

Fox: Now that I have thought about it a bit more, would I be right to assume that GSHC would be one of the most interesting websites to administrate, or no? It's sad to see not much going on with it. == I almost want to make a concept website at some point. :D Anyway, how is everyone doing today?

December 06, 2017, 12:12:59 AM

Fox: Like... Start using Github or something... Do like how many of those other projects such as Citra (WIP 3DS Emulator) does. Etc.

December 06, 2017, 12:08:12 AM

Fox: No idea. I just wish OpenGoldenSun would release it as unfinished, but oh well.

December 05, 2017, 06:52:09 AM

MaxiPower: Bummed out that the open golden sun project is dead it seems with no actitivy in close to a year at this point. Is there any hope left in any other projects?

November 27, 2017, 10:25:28 AM

Fox: (When I say research, mainly refering to the data in the game, though checking websites can count to a degree.)

November 27, 2017, 09:52:27 AM

Fox: Maybe. But Dark Dawn is meh, hahah... I still research it, though, because data can be interesting.